One Small Step

Thirty-four-year-old Benjamin Hernandez had spent most of his adult life living with his older brother and his family, but when a family argument escalated into near violence in June of 2018, Benjamin left the home with the clothes on his back and not a dime in his pocket. “I wanted peace in my family, and that wasn’t a peaceful place for any of us.” Benjamin explained that he had been in jail twice for domestic violence/disturbance issues, and a third time would have meant a mandatory prison sentence, so he was determined to find a living situation that was good for him and his family. Benjamin spent the first week living in a park in Downtown Chandler, sleeping on a concrete bench and washing up in the park drinking fountain. After one week on the streets, he found a bed at a local shelter, and the shelter referred him to the Clothes Cabin for some much-needed clean clothing and personal-care essentials. On June 18, 2018, Benjamin made his first visit to the Clothes Cabin. “That first day I remember getting new underwear and socks and a little bag of hygiene stuff,” Benjamin said. “I used everything in that little bag, and after a week on the streets, I needed it. It helped me feel human again.” Clothes Cabin hygiene kits include things like soap, lotion, toothbrushes, toothpaste, razors, and combs…little things…until you’re forced to go without them. During that first visit, Benjamin also received T-shirts, shorts, and a backpack. In addition, he signed up for our locker program where the Clothes Cabin provided him with a free, safe, secure, dry space to store the things he didn’t want to carry around with him on the streets. He used the locker for three months until the shelter he was staying at started its own locker program modeled, in part, on the Clothes Cabin locker service. Benjamin also participated in our November 2018 Warm for the Winter event, the Clothes Cabin’s annual outreach program that provides winter essentials and a day of hospitality for people experiencing homelessness. Through the Warm for the Winter event, Benjamin received a coat, long johns, sturdy shoes, a sweater, and warm socks. He was also able to fellowship with our volunteers and other clients and get a hot breakfast and a bag of bagels to go. “I didn’t expect it to be so nice. I could tell you guys really care.” For the past eight months, Benjamin has visited the Clothes Cabin for weekly laundry service where we provide him with laundry soap and money to wash and dry his clothes. “I don’t want to walk around looking like a dirt bag. You get looked at different in public when you have dirty clothes.” He said he is very grateful for laundry service because it allows him to save money for other essentials, like food and saving for a place to stay. In January of 2019, Benjamin found employment as a dishwasher at Valle Luna, a Mexican food restaurant just down the street from the Clothes Cabin. After getting the offer, he came to the Clothes Cabin for work clothing. Since Benjamin is a hard-to-fit 3X, Clothes Cabin volunteers went the extra mile and went through our backroom stock to outfit Benjamin for his first day of work. Benjamin just received a Section Eight voucher and is now looking for a new home. “A place that’s all my own…a place that’s going to be more peaceful.” At the Clothes Cabin, our vision is that no person or family within our service area lacks the clothing they need to secure employment, maintain a healthy and hygienic life, and be socially accepted. In a small but vital way, the Clothes Cabin helped Benjamin in his journey to gain employment, stay clean and healthy, and feel connected to others. Bonus: we helped him on his road to stable housing…and peace.